


Working Together

by TripCreates



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Serum Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-07 23:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7734382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripCreates/pseuds/TripCreates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things were going well for Bucky. He had a good job working as Tony Stark’s assistant until one day when he finds out that Stark is hiring another assistant. Now Bucky has to learn how to work with the new guy Steve and try to get along with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Working Together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yoshi_sochi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoshi_sochi/gifts).



> Here's another commission fic, this time for yoshisochi. It was great writing some stucky again. It's been a while since I have so I'm glad I got to write this for you. I hope you like this. I tried to incorporate what you asked for. 
> 
> I want to give a big thanks to reyiskenobi for beta reading this for me!
> 
> All comments and kudos are much appreciated.

Bucky knew something was up when he arrived at work that morning and saw another desk set up across from his. He stood there for a moment and stared at it, trying to figure out why it was there. He should have known about this. How did he not know this was happening?

He set his messenger bag down on his desk and sat down at his computer. Bucky hoped there was an email from Stark or from Human Resources explaining the situation.

The inbox was empty. How silly he was to think that his boss would tell the assistant what was going on.

“Barnes! Just the man I was looking for,” a voice called out.

Bucky turned to see his boss Tony Stark approaching him. “I didn’t realize you were already here,” he greeted, pushing away from his computer.

“That’s because I never left and have been in the lab all weekend,” Star replied, sitting on the edge of Bucky’s desk. Bucky realized he was wearing the same clothes from the previous Friday. Stark crossed his arms against his chest and glanced from Bucky to over at the other desk. “Is something wrong?” he asked, noticing the furrowed brows on his assistant.

“I was just wondering, who is the other desk for?” Bucky asked.

Stark cocked his head to the side. “Did I not tell you I was hiring another assistant?” Bucky stared up at him, raising an eyebrow. “All right, I can tell that’s a no. It must have slipped my mind… which is why I’m taking on someone else to help out around since things are about to get a lot busier around here. HR has a list of the applicants for the in person interviews. I need you to set up the appointments for this Wednesday.”

“I can do that, Tony,” Bucky said.

Stark jumped off of Bucky’s desk. “Excellent. Now, mind grabbing me a cup or two of coffee and some breakfast?” he asked as he made his way to his office.

Once Stark closed his office door, Bucky dropped his head into his hands. What a Monday.

 

Bucky slammed the shot glass down on the bar. “Why does he need another assistant? Who has two assistants?” he asked.

Natasha shook her head. “Who knows what goes on in that head of Stark’s,” she said before throwing back her shot. She signaled for the bartender to bring them each another round.

“Am I not doing a good enough job? Does he think I can’t handle it anymore? I have a damn business degree and have worked for him since he took over the company three years ago! I’m above this personal assistant shit but I’m damn good at it,” Bucky said, raising his voice and drawing the attention of the other patrons.

The bartender set two shot glasses in front of them and Bucky tossed his back immediately.

Natasha picked hers up and said, “If he thought you weren’t good at your job, he would have just fired you and hired someone new. Maybe this isn’t as bad as you think.”

Bucky quirked an eyebrow at her. “How do you figure that?”

“You’ve complained for a quite a while now about how busy Stark keeps you. Maybe he noticed and this is his way of trying to lighten the load. The company is expanding and he honestly could just use someone else,” said Natasha.

She wasn’t wrong, Bucky thought, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

 

By the time Wednesday had rolled around, five applicants had come and gone from Stark’s office. It was hard for Bucky to gauge who would be selected. He silently judged each of them as they showed up. One of them was going to be his new co-worker and he was anxious to see which one it would be. There was one in particular that caught Bucky’s attention. It as a blonde man with amazing broad shoulders and a face that could melt hearts.

He checked in with Bucky when he arrived for his interview. This was the last applicant for the day so Bucky didn’t really have to check for his name. He instructed him to sit and wait for Stark to call him in when he was ready. With a nod and a smiled, the man took a seat against the wall. Bucky resisted the urge to glance his way while the man waited.

As Bucky replied to emails, he imagined what it would be to work with him and thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But the more he thought about it, he dismissed the idea. He was already having trouble concentrating on his work right now with the man just sitting in the room. There was no Bucky could ignore him every day for work.

Bucky was relieved when Tony opened his door and called the applicant into his office. He let out a sigh when he was finally alone but he then found himself on the edge of his seat for when the man would step out of the office. In the case that this one didn’t get the job, Bucky waned the chance to see him one last time before he was gone.

The interview didn’t see to go on for very long. If Bucky was correct, this one was the shortest. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. He gave the man a friendly “goodbye” as he passed his desk. Bucky wondered if he was ever going to see him again or not.

Stark made his decision on Thursday and gave the name to Human Resources to take care of. He didn’t tell Bucky who he picked which meant that Bucky would have to wait until the next Monday to find. This was going to be a long weekend.

 

Monday finally arrived and Bucky made his way into work, picking up coffee on the way in for Stark and his new co-worker. Regardless of how he felt about the situation, he wanted to make a good first impression and start on friendly terms with them.

Bucky stepped off the elevator on the top floor and walked down the hallway to his desk. He set the cups down on his desk before taking his seat. Tony Stark wasn’t known for showing up on time on Mondays but, Bucky supposed, if your name was on the side of the building, you could pretty much do what you wanted.

Bucky started his morning routine of checking emails and any appointments for the day as he waited. It was shortly after eight when he heard Stark coming down the hallway, talking to someone. Bucky didn’t recognize the other voice and assumed it was the new hire. He glanced up as they rounded the corner.

Stark was in fact accompanied by the one of the men he interviewed last week but Bucky couldn’t remember his name. Was is Stephan or maybe Steven? He honestly wasn’t paying attention to that detail since he was distracted by the man’s broad shoulders and pretty face. This was either going to go really well or very poorly, Bucky surmised.

Bucky rose from his chair as they approached. “Good morning. I stopped by and got you your coffee this morning.” He picked up the cup and held it out to his boss.

“Thank you, Barnes,” Stark said, taking the cup. “This is Steve Rogers, who’ll be joining you. I’m sure you can show him the ropes.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem. You also have a lunch date at one,” Bucky said, trying to keep his focus on Stark and _not_ the hot new co-worker standing beside him.

“Who scheduled a meeting at lunch time?” Stark asked, surprised.

Bucky slowly looked over his boss, at a loss of words. “That was you and it’s _not_ a meeting but lunch with Mr. Rhodes.” Bucky was one of the few privy to the knowledge that the two old friends were dating and it amazed him sometimes to see how Tony seemed to forget him. Bucky hated to know what else Tony forgot. “Would you like me to reschedule it?” he asked, giving him a teasing look.

Stark took a sip of his coffee. “No, leave it. Hold my calls this morning unless it’s an emergency. I’ll be down in the labs.”

“Yes, sir,” Bucky replied, emphasizing the “sir.” Tony hated it when he did that but never called him out on it.

Stark gave him a nod before turning around and heading back toward the elevator, leaving the two men in an awkward silence.

Bucky cleared his throat, getting Steve’s attention. “Hi, I’m James Barnes. It’s nice to properly meet you. There wasn’t much time for that during the interviews,” he said, extending his hand to Steve.

Steve stepped forward and gave him a firm handshake. “It’s nice to meet you too. As Mr. Stark said, my name is Steve.”

Bucky chuckled as he drew his hand back. “Okay, first rule: don’t refer to him as ‘Mr. Stark.’ He doesn’t like that.”

“Oh, thanks. I wasn’t aware of that,” Steve said, smiling.

“It’s okay,” Bucky said, reassuring him. His eyes couldn’t help but roam Steve’s body. His shirt looked a little tight under his jacket and Bucky couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. He quickly glanced away before he made things even more awkward between them. “I got you a cup of coffee as well to help you start off your first day.” He picked up the cup and passed it over to Steve.

Steve smiled as he accepted the cup. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Bucky loved the way Steve looked when he smiled but now was not the time for that. “I remember how my first day went so I thought the coffee might help. So, shall we get started?”

 

* * *

 

The first couple of weeks weren’t so bad. Steve was a quick learner and got into the rhythm of working for Tony Stark. Bucky was starting to really like Steve and not just because he made a pretty picture at the desk opposite of him.

But things began to go downhill for Bucky as time went on. Steve was nice but he was _too_ nice. It also didn’t sit well with Bucky that Steve was starting to surpass him at work after a couple of months. Steve quickly became the office favorite.

“No one can be this nice, Nat,” Bucky said, picking his beer up from the coffee table. He leaned back against his couch and continued, “He has to be hiding something.”

Natasha sighed as she sat her bottle on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch, turning to face him. “James, I think you just want to find something wrong with him. Did it cross your mind that he may genuinely be a nice person?”

Bucky shook his head. “You haven’t met him. No one can be this nice and helpful. Do you think he could be after my job or trying to get rid of me?”

Natasha her eyes. “Not this again. You have the same job! He’ just trying to do his job like you should be doing instead of worrying about him. Have you even tried to get to know him outside of work and see what he’s like?”

Bucky took a sip of his beer. “I have asked him out for drinks but he said no. So, I asked him out for coffee one Saturday morning in case alcohol wasn’t his thing and he said ‘yes’ before cancelling on me. I don’t think he’s interested in me nor wants to be friends.”

“Maybe he’s not interested in men?” Natasha offered.

“Oh, Steve is. I’ve already found his Facebook he has it listed he’s interested in women _and_ men. He just doesn’t like _me_ ,” Bucky said before finishing his beer.

“I can’t imagine why,” Natasha said, grinning.

Bucky flipped her off as he stood up to grab another beer from the fridge.

 

Summer turned to Autumn and when the weather started to change, Bucky was thrilled. He always hated the heat of summer and welcomed the cooler temperatures. He was always more of a fall person than a summer one. On an October morning, right when the weather was nice and cool, he was in a good mood as he made his way to work. Bucky greeted Steve with a smile when he reached his desk even though things hadn’t improved much between them.

Just as Bucky removed his jacket and was about to sit down, Stark called him and Steve into his office. Bucky and Steve exchanged a glance before making their way into the office. They each took a seat in the chairs in front of Stark’s desk.

Stark leaned back in his chair as he gazed at his two assistants. “I’ve been thinking that the company should host some sort of gala before Christmas. Maybe we can raise money for a charity to help with the new direction I’m taking the company. What do you two think?”

“I think it’s a charity gala is a wonderful idea,” Steve answered.

“I agree,” Bucky added.

“Good,” Stark said. “Because you two are going to be in charge of planning it.”

That was not what Bucky was expecting.

“I think Bucky and I can handle it,” Steve said, glancing over at Bucky.

Stark turned to Bucky as he waited for his agreement.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Bucky said with a forced smile.

 

* * *

 

December 1st

There were only fifteen days left until the gala and Steve had not shown up to work since Thanksgiving. Bucky hadn’t heard from him and he was starting to lose his patience. He couldn’t finalize the order with the caterer without the guest list information that Steve had, which he had not left at work.

Stark was too busy to notice Steve hadn’t shown up to work and Bucky tried asking around to see if anyone knew why. No one knew, which left Bucky with the only option left, to contact Steve himself.

Bucky couldn’t help but think that Steve might have just decided to take a few extra days off after Thanksgiving. It wasn’t the first time people around the office tried to do it. While on lunch, he sent Steve a text.

Bucky 1:30

_“Hey Steve, I need the guest list info from you. Since you haven’t been to work this week, mind if I stop by your place after work to get it?”_

Steve 1:35

_“Sure. Here’s my address.”_

 

After work, Bucky tracked down Steve’s Brooklyn apartment. He stood outside the building, pushing the buzzer but Steve wasn’t answer. Eventually, someone else approached the door and Bucky caught the door behind them. He navigated his way up the stairs and found Steve’s apartment. Bucky figured that surely Steve would be at home, having sent Bucky his address. He knocked on the door and waited.

Bucky knocked again after waiting a minute and heard movement on the other side. Soon the door opened to Steve standing there, wrapped in a blanket with crazy bed head. He coughed, covering his mouth with his hand before asking, “What are you doing here?”

“I texted you earlier asking if I could stop by to pick up some stuff for the gala. You said it was fine,” Bucky replied. It was becoming obvious Steve had just woken up from a nap and quite possibly was sick.  “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, I apparently ending up taking a nap after I talked to you and forgot you were coming over,” Steve replied.

“You don’t look so good, Steve. Are you feeling alright?” Bucky may not have enjoyed working with Steve but seeing him sick brought something new out of Bucky.

Steve sighed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t have to see me like this but yeah, I’m sick. Why don’t you step inside for a moment while I grab the stuff for you. It shouldn’t take me long.” Steve opened the door wider for Bucky to enter.

As Steve turned away from the door, Bucky stepped in and closed the door behind him. He couldn’t help but glance around the apartment while Steve walked over to his desk. It was obvious Steve had been sick for a few days based on the amount of dishes in the sink and used tissues laid about. The couch seemed to be Steve’s spot as it was covered in pillows and small nest of blankets.

Steve picked up some papers and slid them into a folder. He shuffled back over to Bucky. “If you need anything else just let me know. I’m sorry for holding you up and hope you haven’t gotten too far behind,” he said, thickly through a head full of snot, and handed Bucky the folder.

“This should be it for now,” Bucky said, slipping the folder in his bag. He looked back up at Steve. “Is there anything I can help you with? Maybe get you something from the store?” He didn’t like seeing Steve sick and thought the least he could do was offer to help.

“Well, I actually could use some more cough medicine. I ran out yesterday and haven’t had the energy to go out and get anymore,” Steve said.

Bucky couldn’t fault him for that. The weather had been unbelievably cold and Steve sure didn’t need to be out in it in his current condition. Hell, Bucky thought his hair was starting to freeze from it. “Sure, I can pick some up. Need anything else?” Bucky asked. He didn’t really want to go back out but he was willing to for Steve.

“No, that’s all I need.”

“Okay, I’ll be back shortly. Try not to fall asleep so I can get in,” Bucky joked as he opened the door.

“I’ll try not to,” Steve said as Bucky stepped out the door.

 

Bucky later returned with the medicine Steve asked for, along with more tissues and food.

“You didn’t have to get me food,” Steve said though he still accepted the cup of soup. His stomach growled and he honestly couldn’t remember if he had yet eaten that day.

“No, but I wanted to. I thought the soup would make you feel better,” Bucky said. “I also grabbed some dinner for myself so I thought it would be a little rude if I showed back up with food just for myself.”

“You can stay here and eat if you want,” Steve offered.

Bucky thought it over for a moment. “You don’t mind?” Steve shook his head so Bucky sat down on the opposite end of the couch and pulled out his sandwich.

Steve shrugged off the blanket he still had wrapped around him. “Thanks, James,” he said, taking the lid off the soup.

“No problem, Steve, and call me ‘Bucky.’ That’s what my friends call me,” replied Bucky. He noticed Steve had cleaned up the tissues and other trash that was scattered around the living room while he was gone. “If you can’t make it to work again tomorrow and need anything, let me know. I can swing by after hours.”

“Thanks but if that happens, my friend Sam will be back in town and can help. I don’t want to inconvenience you,” Steve said in between bites.

“Just thought I would offer. Is there no one who’s been helping you since he’s out of town? Like your parents or other friends?”

Steve shook his head. “Not really. My mom has been sick herself and I’ve been helping take care of her and I don’t like letting a lot of people know when I’m sick,” he explained.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your mom.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, giving Bucky a half smile. “She had to spend a couple of months in the hospital but she’s out now to finish recovering. That’s actually why I had to turn down your offers for drinks and coffee. She needed me.”

“I completely understand. It’s all right.” Now Bucky felt even worse for how he reacted to Steve canceling on him. He wasn’t blowing him off but just taking care of his mom. “I just thought you didn’t like me,” he joked.

Steve chuckled. “no, that definitely wasn’t the reason. I should have told you the reason but I wasn’t ready to talk about it with anyone.”

“Just like how you didn’t want to tell me you were sick?” Bucky asked. He respected people’s privacy but he thought it a little odd that Steve wouldn’t just tell him he was sick.

“It’s nothing against you, Bucky. It’s just when I was younger, I would get sick all the time. I had so many health issues and while I’ll grew out of some, I still have to deal with a lot now. I missed school often and when I was there, kids would treat me like I was fragile and would break easily,” Steve said. “After puberty, I hit a major growth spurt and that changed how most people thought of me. Unfortunately, I still get sick like I did when I was little. I don’t like the way people treat me when I’m sick so I just don’t tell anyone unless I have to.”

Bucky realized Steve was sharing something important and meaningful with him. Steve didn’t have to; he could have just told him to mind his own business but he’d shared anyway. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” he said.

“I thought it might be best if I was honest with you. Plus, I didn’t want you to think I was just skipping work for fun…. I had the feeling that’s what you thought was going on,” Steve said, smirking.

Bucky gave him a sheepish look. “Sorry about that. I should have known you weren’t the type to skip out on work.”

“Glad to know you think so highly of me,” Steve said. “And if I’m being honest, I’ve kinda gotten the feeling you don’t like working with me very much.” Steve fixed Bucky with a serious look.

Bucky didn’t know to respond. He didn’t think he’d been obvious about how he felt working with Steve around him but it appears Steve caught on. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way.”

“If I did something to offend you, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I did something wrong. I didn’t want to step on your toes or anything,” Steve said.

“No, Steve, you don’t need to apologize to me. It’s all on me. It’s just been an adjustment for me to work with someone so closely. I was the one being an ass,” Bucky said.

Steve laughed and said, “You might be right about you being an ass but how about we try and put it behind us?”

Bucky smiled. “I’d like that.”

 

After they finished their dinner, Bucky decided to wash Steve’s dishes.

“They’re practically stacked to the ceiling, Steve. Let me just wash them for you,” Bucky said, walking into the kitchen, despite Steve’s protests.

Steve gave up. “Fine, have fun,” he said, taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen, wrapped back up in his blanket. “So, how did you end up working for Stark?” he asked.

“I just really needed a job, even if it meant being someone’s personal assistant. It wasn’t what I wanted to make a career out of but it pays the bills. What about you?” Bucky asked, rolling up his sleeves.

Steve propped his arm on the table and rested his face in his hand. “One can only be a starving artist for so long until you break down and get a job.”

“You’re an artist then? I honestly never would have guessed that,” Bucky said.

“Yeah, got my Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. I figured since this job actually paid well and gave me the needed health benefits, I could save up and be able to do what I really want to do,” Steve replied.

Bucky nodded as picked up a plate and turned on the faucet. “The pay and benefits are quite nice. It’s why I’ve stayed as long as I have.”

“How long have you worked there?”

“Three years now,” Bucky answered as he washed the plate.

“And then I came along and ruined it all for you,” Steve said, his tone playful.

Bucky chuckled as he put the plate in the dish drainer. “Yep. You waltzed into the office with your nice guy routine, making everyone fall for you. Then, you used that to get ahead of me.”

“I was not that bad,” Steve protested.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Bucky said.

Steve laughed which quickly turned into a cough fit. Bucky set the bowl in his hands down and spun around to Steve, taking a couple of steps forward. “Are you okay, Steve?”

Steve held up his hand as the coughing subsided. “I’m okay, Bucky. Really,” he said, reassuring him. “Why do I get the feeling we’re going to laugh about all of this someday?”

“I hope so.” As Bucky gazed at Steve, it sunk in how much he’d fallen for the man. But he wasn’t going to do anything about it until Steve recovered.

 

 

December 16th

The night of the Stark Industries Gala finally arrived. While Stark seemed carefree throughout the night, Bucky was ready for the moment something went wrong as he and Steve kept an eye over everything. He only saw Steve for brief moments at a time but Bucky had Natasha there to keep him company.

“I’m glad to see you and Steve are finally getting along,” Natasha said, taking a glass of champagne from a server. “Who knew all it took was for you to see him sick to stop you being an ass?”

“Yeah, yeah. But shouldn’t the important part be that we’re friendly toward each other now?” Bucky asked.

“I suppose. Well, speak of the Devil,” Natasha said, gesturing to their right.

Bucky turned to see Steve headed straight for them.

“Can this night be over already? I’m exhausted,” Steve said as he stopped in front of Bucky and Natasha.

“Sadly no, we still have at least a couple of hours to go,” Bucky said, checking the time. He looked back at Steve, his eyes wandering down his body. He couldn’t help but admire Steve in a tux.

“Damn but I guess there are worse ways to spend a Friday night,” Steve said, gazing at Bucky.

Natasha glanced from Bucky to Steve and rolled her eyes. “Would you look at that, my glass is empty. Excuse me while I get another,” she said, walking away with a nearly full glass in her hand.

Bucky watched her walk away and knew she was purposely leaving him alone with Steve. He would have to thank her for that later. He cleared his throat as he turned back to Steve, ready to speak just as Steve did. “Sorry, you go first,” Bucky offered.

“No, you go ahead.”

“Steve, just say it.”

Steve took a deep breath. “All right, well I was going to see if you had any plans for New Year’s Eve. If you were available, I’d like to invite you out so we can start the new year off on the right foot.”

“And what are you inviting me to?” Bucky asked, locking eyes with Steve.

“Sam is throwing a party and he hoped I would bring someone this year,” Steve said.

Bucky grinned. “So, you wanted to ask me to be your date?” He enjoyed seeing Steve blush at that.

“If you want it to be my date then yes,” Steve said.

“I’d love to go with you, Steve,” Bucky replied.

Steve smiled. “I’ll get you the details closer to the day. What were you going to say?”

“I was actually going to ask you the same thing,” Bucky said, laughing.

“Oh,” Steve said as he joined in the laughing. “Would you rather go to that party?”

“Nah,” Bucky said with a wave of his hand. “Nat will be there and I’d rather not be around her then.”

Steve nodded. “Understandable. I’m looking forward to it.”

Bucky opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by hearing “Barnes! Rogers!” from Stark across the room. He sighed. “Me too, and hopefully we can make it through this night. Let’s go.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Want to reblog on tumblr? Use this [post](http://bartonandmurdock.tumblr.com/post/148858827466/working-together-for-yoshisochi-pairing-bucky).


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